OBITUARY NOTICES OF FELLOWS DECEASED. 



Blxjamin Apthokp Gould was born at Boston, on September 27, 

 1824. He entered the Boston Latin School in 1836, and graduated 

 from Harvard College in 1844. In 1845 Gould visited Europe to 

 make himself acquainted with the instrumental equipments of the 

 principal Observatories. With this object he spent about three 

 months at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich ; four months at the 

 Paris Observatory ; a year at the Berlin Observatory ; four months 

 at Altona ; and a month at Gotha. He was thus brought into con- 

 tact with most of the leading astronomers of the time, and made 

 many lasting friendships. 



Dr. Gould returned to America in 1848. In 1852 he joined the 

 staff: of the Coast Survey, and was employed as " Assistant in 

 Charge " on many important determinations of longitude. The 

 Reports of the Superintendent of the United States Coast Survey, 

 1852 — 66, contain many valuable papers by Dr. Gould on points 

 connected with longitude determinations. In 1855 arrangements 

 were made between the Trustees of the Dudley Observatory 

 and the authorities of the U.S. Coast Survey, which it was 

 thought would prove mutually advantageous, and Professors Bache, 

 Henry, Pierce, and Dr. Gould were appointed members of the 

 Scientific Council to superintend the work of the Observatory. In 

 1855, Dr. Gould visited Europe and obtained a new Transit Circle 

 from Messrs. Pistor and Martins, of Berlin, and some other instru- 

 ments for the Observatory. A new Heliometer was also ordered 

 from Mr. Spencer, of Canastota, New York, but this instrument was 

 never completed. On December 19, 1857, Dr. Gould was appointed 

 director of the Dudley Observatory, but his relations with the 

 trustees were not satisfactory, and in June, 1859, his connexion 

 with the Observatory ceased. In 1866, Gould took charge of the 

 Valencia end of the telegraphic determination of the differ- 

 ence in longitude between that station and Newfoundland ; and 

 the Astronomer Royal, Airy, afforded facilities for the connexion 

 of Gould's station with Greenwich. About the same time, Gould 

 reduced the observations made by D'Agelet, at Paris, 1783 — 

 85, with a Bird quadrant. The reductions were necessarily differ- 

 ential, but they afforded positions of about 2907 stars, some of 

 which had not been observed by Bradley, and which were valuable 



A O Li. LXII. b 



